


Growing the Horde

by Shi_Toyu



Series: Here There Be Dragons [3]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Baby Dragon, Dragons, Kid Fic, Kid Loki, M/M, Possessive Behavior, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-06-21
Packaged: 2018-07-16 11:36:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7266556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/pseuds/Shi_Toyu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki shows up at SHIELD. Bucky is not pleased. Tony, however, is quite the opposite.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Growing the Horde

**Author's Note:**

> In the Horde universe. Sequel to Never Meddle With a Dragon's Horde.

“That’s it,” Maria Hill stated in a complete deadpan. “I quit.”

Bucky couldn’t say he exactly blamed her. When the alarms had started blaring through the entire SHIELD base, Bucky had made it clear he was staying with and guarding his teammates-turned-kids. All he wanted to know was whether or not they needed to evacuate. Little dragon Tony perched on his shoulders, trails of smoke rising from his nostrils, only reinforced the message. Now he was kind of wishing he’d taken the kids and run because he was pretty sure this could only end in disaster.

A minuscule Loki, looking to be about seven years old if he were human, sat quietly at the SHIELD conference table. He was still in Asgardian attire, though it wasn’t his full battle regalia. Instead, he was dressed in a green cloth shirt and leather pants. His boots were still of heavy leather, but they didn’t seem to have as many buckles as his adult self usually had. Thor sat beside him with a huge grin and Tony was in his lap, rubbing himself all over the boy’s legs like a cat that’d found a field of catnip and purring like a sports car without a muffler.

 _Fire,_ Tony purred out for what felt like the millionth time. _Mine._

Loki smiled tentatively, with eyes full of awe and wonder as he scratched Tony under the chin, causing the tiny dragon to make a sort of trilling noise and nearly keel over.

“You know,” Bucky commented blandly, “I might join you if that weren’t my boyfriend over there in a supervillain’s lap. As it is, I feel sort of obligated to make sure he doesn’t die a horrible death.”

“Not a supervillain,” Coulson stated in clipped tones as he strode into the room. “Considering his current state of being de-aged and having no memory of the acts he’d committed as an adult, SHIELD cannot classify him as an active supervillain. He’s still a threat and will be kept under surveillance but for the moment, he is not to be considered beholden to his full former status. Besides, I think he likes Mr. Stark almost as much as Mr. Stark likes him.”

Bucky glared.

“And what about when he turns back into his adult self? He should be contained while we have the chance.”

“I would not deem that a wise decision, mortals.” Bucky kind of wanted to strangle Thor as the brat glared at them with arms folded across his chest. “My brother and I are princes of Asgard and the All-Father will have your heads if you lay a hand upon either of us. If I leave any of you left by the time he gets here, of course.”

Hill turned on her heel and headed for the door.

“Nope, not dealing with it.”

Bucky dragged a hand through his hair and resisted the temptation to call Thor a bloodthirsty hellion to his face. He might actually take it as a compliment.

“No one is going to attempt to harm you or your brother,” Coulson reassured the blond. “We simply need to figure out some arrangements. We aren’t used to… guests.”

Bucky scoffed.

“Loki obviously can’t stay with the rest of them. He’s too dangerous.”

Tony’s head popped up like he was starring in a whack-a-mole game.

_Of course he’ll be staying._

“This isn’t a discussion, Tony. He’s dangerous.”

_He’s **mine.**_

The words were actually growled, surprising Bucky. The other kids were starting to pay attention, too.

“How could he possibly be yours? He’s our _enemy_.”

 _He is fire. I am fire._ Tony huffed as if in frustration. _He is mine. You are mine. There are no enemies here. You are all horde._

A small frown formed on Coulson’s face.

“What do you mean he is fire?”

“My brother is the _god_ of fire,” Thor said smugly, “just as I am the god of thunder. Dragons are creatures of fire. They all have a fondness for Loki.”

 _No,_ Tony grumbled. _Mine._

Loki stroked a finger over the crest of Tony’s head and the little dragon leaned into it.

“Have I done something wrong?” the tiny trickster asked softly, and _damn it all_ if the kid wasn’t adorable. “I-I play pranks sometimes, just tricks really, but I do not wish any harm.”

No wonder Hill had gotten out while she could. They hadn’t even had the ‘you’re really adults that just got turned back into kids’ talk with their _own_ kids. How were they supposed to explain to child Loki that he’d tried to take over the planet and had been causing them Hell ever since? One look at Tony was all Bucky needed to tell him that wouldn’t go over well.

“You’ve pulled a few pranks, yes,” Coulson came to the rescue. “They haven’t been much appreciated.”

Loki tucked his chin into his chest, miserable expression clear as day with his short, slicked-back haircut.

“I’m sorry. I really don’t remember…”

Tony stretched up to nudge his head against Loki’s cheek.

 _Mine,_ he murmured softly, seriously. _Always mine. No matter what._

Then he scrambled over to one on Loki’s hands, nudging at it with this face and claws until Loki presented him with a cupped palm. Tony drew in a breath and blew fire into Loki’s hand, the red flames turning green as they entered Loki’s palm and curled into a little fireball there.  The dragon sat back with a pleased expression to admire his work.

_See? You are fire as I am. Even if you pulled a million tricks, you would be mine. Even if we fought, you would be mine. I have claimed you, which makes you Horde. A dragon never gives up their Horde._

He nudged Loki’s other hand over to join the first, the fire spreading across both his hands and growing larger. Loki was staring at the flames with the same wonder he had stared at Tony with earlier.

“Does that make you mine, then? If I am part of your Horde?”

Tony snorted.

 _I am Bucky’s,_ he stated simply, leaving no room for question. _But we are connected, yes. I’m Bucky’s and Bucky is mine like Dad is Mom’s and Mom is Dad’s. You and I are more like… heat and smoke. We are born of fire and we live as fire. Where there is one there will surely be the other. Our life force is the same and we both feed off of it. Unlike heat and smoke, though, we can also help each other._

Before either Bucky or Loki could ask for clarification, Tony climbed into the flames in Loki’s hands. The godling toppled to the floor just moments later as Tony rapidly expanded from the size of a small kitten to that of a St. Bernard. The dragon grinned toothily down at the surprised Loki before tipping his head back and stretching out his neck.

_Ah, that should just about do it._

There was a blurring around Tony’s edges as his form changed, nothing looking quite distinct. When he was finished, though, it was a young teen with brunet hair who straddled Loki’s legs.

“Awesome! I totally didn’t know if that would work or not!”

Bucky groaned. He was pretty sure looking after these menaces just got a whole lot harder.

**Author's Note:**

> There will be one more work in this universe but that's all I plan to do for it, just as a heads up.


End file.
